Mikel Arteta has made Eberechi Eze decision which 'makes no sense' after £67.5m splurge

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been told he's made an odd decision with Eberechi Eze during his short time at the club so far, following his £67.5m move from Crystal Palace over the summer

Former Premier League defender Paul Parker has claimed that Mikel Arteta has taken away freedom from Eberechi Eze after his move to Arsenal, in a decision he has claimed "doesn’t make sense". It comes a few months on from the England international making the £67.5m switch from Crystal Palace.

Eze was lined up to join north London rivals Tottenham, but Arsenal pulled off a sensational swoop to ensure they could land him instead. The boyhood fan capped off a tremendous transfer saga with an emotional welcome to the Emirates Stadium, as he was visibly taken aback by a dream come true.

That, however, was just the first step on his path at the Gunners, with the large investment into signing him needing to pay off on the pitch. There have certainly been some highlights so far, including Eze's hat-trick against Tottenham in the north London derby, which was written in the stars.

However, with no goals or assists in the games since that match and the return of Martin Odegaard creating competition for a role in the team, there have been further question marks. Parker is among those to question the move again, as he told gambling portal British Gambler his thoughts on the deal.

When asked about the current number tens available to Thomas Tuchel and the England squad, he said: "If you’re going on current form, Morgan Rogers should be starting ahead of Jude Bellingham for England next summer at the World Cup. When you play with England, you try and make everything as close to a club’s scenario as possible.

“I love what Rogers is doing for Aston Villa, and I think it’s similar to what Eberechi Eze did for Crystal Palace when he played in a similar role. Eze was outstanding at the time, and I think he was the best attacking midfielder in the Premier League last season.

“I think that freedom has been taken away from him by Mikel Arteta since going to Arsenal. They bought him for what he was delivering and then when they got him, they’ve tried to get him to do something different. It doesn’t make sense for that kind of money.”

That's something that Arteta himself may disagree with, having claimed that he would give freedom to Eze within his system. Upon signing the star, the Arsenal boss told the official website: "I’m really impressed with him. I heard a lot of things about him. I spoke to a lot of people about him. He’s really bright, has very special energy and a special aura around him. He's really willing.

“He's already gathered a lot of information on the things that we want to see on the pitch. But especially, making sure that he has the freedom and the capacity to express his quality, which is the reason why we brought him here.

“I think when you are next to him, you are comfortable. He's got a big smile. He asks you the right questions. And then just let him flow with that ball and the ability he has to pick passes, to drive past people effortlessly and just to understand the timing of things, very impressive.

“We have a lot of players now that can play in different positions and they can fulfil gaps when we have them. And looking at the start of the season that we already have had with injuries, that's going to be very necessary. So I'm very happy to have the ability to do that.”

Eze has had to play several different roles already this season, from left-wing to attacking playmaker and even as the left-sided number eight in the midfield. While that hasn't exactly led to pure output from the 27-year-old, that can be the risk in having a creative player who goes on a run of form.

With Arsenal struggling to unpick defences again lately, his lack of starts may be no coincidence, as the Gunners require that return of a flair player into the ranks. As the busy Christmas period is now here, there could be an opportunity for Eze to make a huge impact heading into the New Year.

It remains to be seen just how much of an impact that could be, but it may be enough to help his boyhood club charge towards the Premier League title.